Industry figures show that UK shoppers have put off spending in anticipation of Black Friday promotions this year. Around 37% of shoppers have stated their intention to shop during the sales. Amazon’s last two massive sale events were all-time record beaters for the e-commerce giant, and the company is aiming to do the same again on November 29, 2025. This presents a huge opportunity for retailers to boost sales and attract new customers.
However, given the continued high demands, coupled with supply chain issues and staff shortages, scaling up for peak season will be more difficult than in years past.
This Black Friday, preparation will be key for brands looking to deliver exceptional customer service and pull in the crowds. Here’s five ways they can prepare:
1. Review your supply chain
As Black Friday approaches, the importance of strategic planning and adaptability in retail has never been clearer. Starting with the beginning of the retail journey, resilient supply chains must be prioritised to effectively manage potential disruptions and ensure shelves remain optimally stocked.
“Warehouse and logistics operations need to remain efficient whilst managing peak demand,” explains Wayne Snyder – VP Retail Industry Strategy, EMEA at Blue Yonder. “This means that teams must have visibility across the supply chain to understand late shipments and respond quickly and optimally to disruption.
“End-to-end orchestration across the supply chain ensures that every department, from procurement to shipping, is aligned and working towards a common goal – optimising inventory levels, reducing the risk of stockouts, and providing more efficient fulfilment.”
Leveraging the latest technology can improve supply chain resilience, helping accurately predict and prepare for shopping behaviour.
2. Ensure your technology doesn’t let you down
Ensuring that all IT equipment is up and running will prevent negative customer experiences this Black Friday. “Avoiding system downtime and providing accurate stock availability should be top priorities for retailers, notes Rob Shaw, GM EMEA at Fluent Commerce.
“For many, however, the limitations of an outdated order management system (OMS) or legacy systems will make it difficult to make the most from the high sales potential. Retailers need confidence that their technology is resilient and scalable, ready to meet the pressures of Black Friday and deliver on the customer promise.”
“To prepare, retailers should undertake a thorough stress test of the system in place,” he adds. “Simulating Black Friday conditions with load-testing tools can help identify weak points and prepare the system for high demand.”
Bruce Kornfeld, Chief Product Officer at StorMagic, agrees, suggesting that stores at the edge implement hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) to ensure smooth running IT operations.
“HCI simplifies management and offers built-in benefits that are ideal for handling high-demand events. These systems are often built with robust security in mind, offering integrated encryption, authentication, and compliance features for protection against holiday-season cyber threats.
“Their easy scalability allows retailers to adjust resources up or down as needed, so they can expand capacity before Black Friday or the pre-Christmas rush without a major infrastructure overhaul and scale down afterward, maximising cost-effectiveness.”
IT should be a focus year-round, but the increased stress on retail makes it a particular focus for Black Friday and considering alternative or new edge solutions can increase trust in IT systems.
3. Don’t overlook cyber security
As retailers gear up for the surge in traffic during Black Friday, the focus on cybersecurity remains as critical as ever. “Retailers collect and store vast quantities of data, much of it sensitive customer data like credit card details or personally identifiable information (PPI) – a treasure trove for attackers,” warns Dan Bridges, Technical Director – International at Cyware.
“With cybercriminals often targeting businesses during their busiest times, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s essential for retailers to bolster their security defences, to protect both their customers and their reputation.”
He stresses the importance of keeping cyber security tight, adding: “At the end of the day, threat intelligence only works when it can communicate the relevant data to the right people, at the right time, so they can quickly take meaningful action.
“As has been written about many times over, there is no silver bullet when it comes to tackling cybercrime – whether it’s a genuine mistake or a deliberate, targeted attack – but by fusing disparate elements of the cybersecurity stack, the risk of falling victim will be reduced.”
4. Maintain staffing levels
Retailers will need to manage staffing levels amid the surge in demand, ensuring that the frontline team is large enough to handle the increased workload, and maintain a high standard of customer service.
Mark Williams, Managing Director EMEA at WorkJam, suggests, “organisations must be able to provide tools that allow for easy, yet effective, scheduling whilst still giving employees flexibility.”
“This gives frontline workers autonomy over their shifts, and provides a better employee experience, which empowers workers to deliver the best possible customer experience.” he added.
“Going further, offering an ‘Open Shift Marketplace’– a virtual picklist of available shifts personalised to the workers’ skills and location – allows for neighbouring stores to share staff between locations to fulfil the required number of workers on shift.”
5. Keep promotions sustainable
Traditionally, retailers have responded to Black Friday by stocking up heavily on promotional labels and packaging. However, this approach carries the risk of overestimating demand, leading to excess stock.
Retailers often over-order seasonal labels to meet demand, but this strategy comes with a downside, warns Gavin Thurston, Business Development Manager for Business Systems at Epson UK. “Wastage, including unused packaging, has been reported to increase by 25% during this period.”
This problem not only poses logistical challenges but also exacerbates environmental concerns.
“A solution to these challenges is the growing adoption of on-demand inkjet printing in the production process. Rather than pre-ordering large quantities of themed labels, retailers and manufacturers can now produce labels for packaging in real time, based on more accurate sales trends and demand forecasts.”
Making Black Friday a success
Delivering a seamless shopper experience this Black Friday will take a lot of hard work and preparation. However, it will be worth it. Ensuring all elements of retail uphold and exceed consumer expectations will help retailers maximise profits and maintain consumer loyalty.
- Collaboration & Optimization
- Risk & Resilience
